Shaver holder



A. E. HUTT SHAVE'R HOLDER July 5, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 061;. 4, 1945 IN V EN TOR.

A. E. HUTT 2 474399 SHAVER HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 02 II I, 2233 W 43/ 7 Azanvr Hurr- INVENTOR.

July 5, 1949.

Filed Oct. 4, 1945 Patented July 5, 1949 SHAVER HOLDER- Albert E. -Hutt, Stamford, Conn assignor, by mesne assignments, to Schick Incorporated, a

corporation of Delaware Application October 4, 1M5, Serial No. 620,283

1 Claim. 3 This invention relates to a bracket structure adapted to be secured to a wall, as in a bathroom or other locationconvenient to where one accompanying drawings.

usually shaves, and arranged to provide a holder or support for an electric shaver.

Many users of electric shavers have long experienced difficulty in finding a satisfactory location and safe manner of keeping their shavers handy for use. As is well known, the removal of the customary cord and return of the cord and shaver to the pouch or container in which they are sold is somewhat troublesome and annoying; whereas the more common method attempted, namely, that of bundling together the attached shaver and cord and placing on a shelf (as in a bathroom closet) or in a drawer, is somewhat hazardous, due to the reluctance of the cord to stay coiled up, and is in any event, untidy and responsible for undue wear and tear on the cord.

The primary object of the present invention is to supply the need for a convenient receptacle or holder which avoids these diiliculties and objections.

In general, the bracket of this invention contemplates 3, body portion adapted to be secured to a wall and having aforwardlyprotruding support, preferably in the form of a vertical, openended socket or receptacle, into which a shaver can be placed and securely held, without disconnecting the shaver from its cord. As will presently be apparent, certain features of the invention are useful regardless of the particular disposition made of or the manner of storing the cord; but, in the preferred form of the invention, an appropriate cord, other than the standard cord with which the shaver is supplied, is incorporated as part of the bracket unit, having one end equipped with a plug for insertion in a conven ient outlet and the other end adapted for connection to the shaver. That section of the cord which is associated with the bracket'incorporates a switch which is accessible from theiront of the bracket and which, as in the forms herein illustrated, is so constructed and located as to be moved to its oif" or circuit-breaking position by the engagement of the shaver with the switch actuator when the shaver is inserted in the receptacle. The switch is desirably spring-biased to its on or circuit-closing position so that when the shaver is removed from the receptacle the circuit from the outlet, through the cord to the shaver, is automatically closed. As will presently be apparent the shaver need not be detached from the cord except when needed to be moved to some other location, as for use when traveling.

For a more complete understanding of the invention and of its other features and advantages, reference is to be had to the following description of the two illustrative forms shown in the as will then be appar cut, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are, respectively, front and rear elevational views of one form of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the lines IV-IV of Fig. 1;

Fig.5 is a vertical section corresponding to Fig. 4 but showing a modification of the invention: and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view as on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5. 4

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-4:

The bracket consists essentially of a body portion, generally designated i, having shaver supporting elements 2 projecting from its face 3. The face 3 and the inner surfaces of elements 2 are so shaped as to substantially enclose a downwardly-tapering space forming a socket or receptacle dimensioned to receive and support an electric shaver. As will be recognized, the bracket is so designed as to be capable of plastic molding, upper and lower holes 4 and 5 being provided for the insertion of screws or bolts for holding the bracket to a wall.

The body portion of the bracket is hollow, or formed with a cavity 6, which serves to house a switch for controlling the flow of current through a shaver cord associated with the bracket. In this preferred form, the switch includes contacts l and 8 which are spring-biased to circuit closing position. To this end contact I is carried by a spring blade 9, the upper end of which is anchored by a screw ill to a boss H formed on the back of the bracket face 3. The contact 8 is carried by a bracket l2 secured by screw I3 to boss it.

The incoming end l5 (Fig. 3) of a shaver cord carries a plug it by which the unit is to be connected to a utility outlet and one of the leads I! of this incoming section of the cord is controlled by the switch, being connected to screw i 0 and the current passing through the switch and out through lead iii to the outgoing section I8 of the cord. It will thus be apparent that the section of the cord controlled by the switch is inaccessible when the bracket is in place against a wall.

The outgoing section IQ of the cord carries a plug 20 at its end for connection to a shaver, the length of this section of cord being such as to extend to whatever point is convenient to the user of the shaver.

The switch is controlled by an actuator in the form of a plunger 2| which passes through the face 3 of the bracket. On the rear end of the plunger is a head 22 which bears against spring blade 9 and the rounded forward end 23 of the plunger protrudes from the bracket face so as to be engaged by one of the side suriaces of a shaver moving downwardly into place in the receptacle.

As illustrated, the shaver supporting elements 2 are spaced apart so as to pass the shaver cord when inserting and removing the shaver from the bracket. After use, the shaver is simply inserted downwardly into the receptacle with the cord section 19 depending in a loop below the bracket, the act of inserting the shaver serving to thrust plunger 2| inwardly and so break the cord circuit. A shaver so positioned, with the switch in its resulting open-circuit position, is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This is a highly desirable feature of the arrangement, because the majority of electric shavers lack control switches, and their motors are usually of the impulse type. Ordinarily, the motor is stopped by disconnecting its cord after each shave but when using a holder of the character described, such disconnection is unnecessary and the automatic breaking of the circuit by the mere insertion of the shaver in the bracket serves to protect the motor against the possibility of its standing idle but with its circuit closed.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. and 6, the bracket includes forwardly projecting arms or supporting elements 24 which may be precisely like the elements 2 already described in connection with the previous form. The front face 25 may also be of the same form as already described, including the protruding switch actuator 26. In this instance, however, the bracket incorporates a cord reel which serves to take up the slack cord which otherwise depends of the shaver in a lengthy loop.

In this instance, the cord reel is housed within the bracket; and to that end the body portion of the bracket is formed of two parts, a main cavity portion 21 and a base or backing portion 28. The arrangement is such that the base carries the cord reel, switch contacts and cord connections, etc., this whole unit comprising a convenient sub-assembly, while the cavity portion 21 (carrying the switch actuator and shaver supporting arms) serves as a cover or enclosure for the base.

Since the details of construction of the cord reel per se are not claimed herein, only so much of the structure as is necessary to a general understanding of its operation will be described.

The cord reel is of a type generally known; that is to say, to the extent that it utilizes two coil springs, 29 and 30, which serve as conductors (as well as to wind up the reel), thereby avoiding the need for brushes or moving contacts.

As shown, the reel includes a hub portion generally designated 3|, and spaced flanges 32, 33 between which a length of cord is wrapped or coiled up. The ends 34 and 35 of the cord leads are suitably secured to the hub portion and in electrical contact with the inner ends of the springs 29 and 30, respectively. The hub is journaled at one end in a recess 36 in the base 28 and at its other end in the upwardly extending arm 31 of a bracket 38 secured to boss 39 by screws 40. The reel is thus centered in a recess 4! in the base 28.

Secured to the bas by screws 42 and bent over so as to project into the recess 4| is a conductor 4 bracket 43 which serves as an anchor for the outer end of spring II. The outer end of spring 20 is anchored against the outwardly projecting mid-section of bracket arm 31-". As before, a spring blade switch is incorporated in the bracket and arranged for operation exactly as already described. In this instance, one of the incoming leads 44 of cord 45 (which, as before, is to carry a plug for connection to an outlet) is connected to conductor bracket 43 and thence through spring 30 to lead 38 of the wrapped cord. The

other incoming lead 4! is connected through the switch, to spring blade 41, bracket arm 38, and thence through spring 20 to lead 34 of the wrapped cord. The outgoing leads of the cord, indicated at 40, extend out through the bracket wall for connection to the shaver. Thus, as before, the shaver is continuously connected through the cord to an outlet under the control of the bracket switch. In this instance, however, the cord is extensible and retractable, being wound up on the cord reel when not in use and only so much of it as is desired being unwound for use during shaving.

In order to relieve the unwrapped cord from the pull of the springs during shaving, appropriate braking means ar provided eifective to hold the cord in any desired position of extension. In the form illustrated, and as is preferred, such means consists of a manually releasable latch 49 pivoted at 50 on the base 28, with one end ii of the latch protruding from the side of the bracket and its other end 52 serving as a pawl for engagement with ratchet teeth 53 formed in the periphery of one of the cord reel flanges. A spring 54 serves to hold the pawl end of the latch in engagement with the ratchet teeth. By this means the shaver cord can be freely withdrawn or unreeled and, as soon as the tension on it is released, the pawl serves to hold it in its then.

position. To rewind the cord it is only necessary to press the latch end 5| inwardly to disengage. the pawl, whereupon the cord reel springs oper-' ate to rotate the reel and take up the slack cord. In the light of the foregoing description of two forms of construction illustrative of the principles of the invention, the following is claimed:

An electric shaver wall bracket comprising the combination of a body portion having spaced, rigid shaver supporting means on the face thereof and a cavity in the rear, a cord reel having a cord thereon mounted in said cavity, the end of the extensible portion of the cord adapted for connection to a shaver and the other end of the cord having a circuit connection to a utility plug, a switch within the body portion located in said circuit connection including an actuator located between the rigid shaver supporting means for engagement by a shaver when inserted in the said supporting means and rendered effective thereby to break the cord circuit.

ALBERT E. HU'IT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 452,288 Savage May 12, 1891 1,754,072 Watts Apr. 8, 1930 2,196,786 Wahl Apr. 9, 1940 

